Warriors on wheels: Roller derby players save ferocity for the rink

Sunday

Nov 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM

At the sound of the whistle, the women — most clad in decorative tattoos, all wearing skates, pads and a helmet — began their course around the track, roughly bumping one another and taking hard falls along the way.

By Dustin Wyattdustin.wyatt@shj.com

At the sound of the whistle, the women — most clad in decorative tattoos, all wearing skates, pads and a helmet — began their course around the track, roughly bumping one another and taking hard falls along the way.Outside of scrimmages or competitions, some of these women are nurses, some are hair stylists. Others work as retail-store managers.But together, despite their differences outside the skating rink, they comprise Spartanburg's roller derby team, the Spartanburg Deadly Dolls.The team, composed of 22 women ages 21 to 55, will have their first bout in Spartanburg on Saturday at Skate Palace. It will be the team's fourth bout since forming about two years ago.“Roller derby is a sport that anyone can do,” said Stephanie Westrup, the team's president. “You just have to have the time and the commitment and the willingness to learn.”Westrup said she was introduced to the fast-paced contact sport last year, shortly after the team formed, when the Deadly Dolls' coach, Nick Gillman, came into the retail store she manages.“He started talking about roller derby, and it just spiked my interest,” she said. “So I asked if I could come try out. So I did.”She was nervous when she first walked in.“I was expecting to find a bunch of girls with piercings and tattoos who were mean,” Westrup said.What she found were a bunch of girls with piercings and tattoos, but they were the nicest group of girls she had ever met.

“It was awesome. I fell in love with it immediately,” she said. “There's no drama. We all get along, and we all hang out outside of derby.”Each team member also has a fierce nickname — the Mad Hattress, Smashley, the Retaliater.Roller derby consists of two teams of five who try to earn as many points as possible as they skate counterclockwise around a track. Each team has a jammer and four blockers.Jammers don't carry around a guitar, as the name might imply, but Erick Westrup, the team's assistant coach, says they are much like the team's rock star, as they are the only players on the team who can score points.Points are earned when a jammer passes blockers from the other team. Each time a jammer passes another player's hip, it's one point. The blockers' goal is to keep the other team's jammer from passing.Each team's blockers use body contact, changing positions, and other tactics to assist its jammer to score while hindering the opposing team's jammer. Certain types of blocks and other play are violations; referees call penalties and require violators to serve time in a penalty box, much like hockey.“The goal is for the jammer to pass as many opposing players as possible,” Stephanie Westrup said.Team member Lizzie Johnson said the sport has a steep learning curve and takes some time to get used to, especially for those who might not be as skilled on skates. And for those people, Elizabeth Keys will give skating lessons.“We do have some girls who joined the team who are still with us who didn't know how to skate,” Stephanie said. “So we taught them how to skate, and then we taught them how to play roller derby.She said one reason some people quit the sport is that they don't realize how much of a commitment it is.

“There are a lot of us who take this very seriously. You have to study rules on a regular basis, and you can't take a day off,” Stephanie said.It's also physically demanding, according to Pam Kellett, 28, who just started practicing with the team about three weeks ago — a “baby doll,” as the team calls newcomers.“My roommate has been on the team for a while, and I came to a practice with her. It looked (exciting),” she said. “I knew I wanted to give it a try.”Kellett said she already has taken her share of bruises home with her.“I feel it every day when I go home. But I enjoy it because I feel like I'm doing something,” she said.In addition to making sure all players have proper helmets, pads and mouth guards, Stephanie says they are taught how to fall properly.“We tell our players to practice small falls,” she said. If you fall (and they do), “land directly on your pads.”Coaches say those interested in playing or learning more about the sport should come to a practice.“We are more than willing to have new people here,” Eric Westrup said.